feedback

Feedback is tough because often times it can seem that no one is reading it but you. At our district we are required to give oral assessments in Level 3 where the students are supposed reach Proficient which is the same as ACTFL’s intermediate low. I am not a master of feedback by any means, but last year I listened to my three level three classes Practice exams and I wrote down what they said and gave them examples of what they should say. It took forever, and I’m not sure whether they read it or not. There are 9 different themes/topics.

I am bad at feedback and need advice of how to make it simpler. I will write out little notes on assignments of how to say what they are trying to say but I am not consistent at all. The rubric we use for scoring the oral assessments are nice because they allow you to select a category for the students to work on and they highlight what they ARE able to do. I should take a closer look at those and create feedback from those for oral assessments. Speaking assessments are all the district really cares about but I can’t help wanting give them vocab and grammar quizzes because I still believe it can be important. As a learner I am interested in knowing how to do things with language even if it is tough or confusing. I need to try to change that mindset. I learned how to be a teacher that teaches grammar inductively and is careful about making corrections in order to keep the affective filter low. I know all about comprehensible input and scaffolding. I know about all the right ways to do things but I fell upon this blogging challenge and twitter because I am forgetting about that stuff sometimes and just rushing to get through stuff so that we’re ready when the exams hit which we’ll never be if I don’t teach the right way. I’m tired and about to start talking in circles. Happy Sunday evening everyone. I always finding myself hanging on to the last minutes to put off the work week but its already on its way so I better get some sleep.